Question

Which of the following is a density-independent factor?
a) a predator
b) water
c) food
d) a drought

Answer 1

Density refers to a resource/component that is population-based.
Predators are related to the population density, since that is their prey.
Water is related to population density, since a limited supply has to be rationed based on the number of people.
Food availability is related to the population, since the more people, the less food everyone has.
A drought is not related to population density. Having more people may make it slightly more severe, but it is not a finite resource like food, water, or prey would be.